While the shrimp were grilling, Fang Jun had already made his way downstairs.
He arrived carrying several large bottles of drinks, with An Yuexin following closely behind.
“Old Mo, we’re here to spice things up!”
An Yuexin was considered a local—his mother’s surname was Lu, making him part of Lu Xiaohua’s clan.
Locals mostly hung out with other locals.
Even if some people didn’t know each other well, they’d at least met a few times or had some distant family ties.
So as soon as Fang Jun showed up, he went all out, warmly greeting everyone present.
Even if he didn’t know their names, he acted like they were close brothers.
He was basically a social butterfly with a bit of a wild streak.
Meanwhile, after exchanging greetings with Lu Xiaohua, An Yuexin moved over to stand beside Lin Mo.
“Lin Mo, sorry for dragging you into this mess.”
An Yuexin’s face showed a hint of embarrassment before he poured a cup of cola for Lin Mo.
“We’re all classmates. As long as everyone’s fine in the end, that’s what matters.”
By this time, Fang Jun had finished his round of socializing and came back, slinging an arm around An Yuexin’s shoulders.
“I’m telling you, just go ahead and bow to Lin Mo already.”
Lin Mo couldn’t help but laugh. “Stop messing around. Tell me about you and the girls from Class 15.”
Fang Jun laughed too and then pointed to a group of guys sitting opposite them.
“They’re all from Class 3.”
The guys looked a bit surprised—they knew Fang Jun was from Class 5, and An Yuexin was too.
Xie Yufei, who had been quietly grilling chicken wings nearby, perked up at the news.
When he realized the juicy gossip involved their own class, his interest shot through the roof.
“It’s someone from our class? Come on, spill it! Who is it?”
Fang Jun glanced at An Yuexin’s expression and quickly said, “This is still too early to tell. Let’s not ask too many questions or we might blow it.”
The eager onlookers weren’t happy to hear that.
“Hey, maybe we can help. Since she’s from our class, we probably know what she likes.”
Whether they meant well or just wanted some fun was unclear.
An Yuexin looked a bit torn.
He wanted to get some intel too, but with so many people around, if they talked too much, it might reach Mai Chuwen’s ears by tonight.
Still, he was curious.
Lin Mo spoke up, “Don’t overthink it. Take it step by step. Don’t let them throw off your plans or mess with your head.”
That calmed An Yuexin down quite a bit.
Xie Yufei also knew it wasn’t wise to push the topic further—everyone would just get uncomfortable—so he changed the subject.
“By the way, you mentioned dragging Lin Mo into this mess. What happened exactly?”
Xie Yufei was quite curious about this “brother-in-law.”
Whether or not Xie Yuling had a high opinion of herself, the “Ice Queen” reputation definitely made her hard to approach.
That much was clear.
Fang Jun glanced at An Yuexin again, and An Yuexin nodded in agreement.
“So here’s what happened...”
The group listened as they grilled food.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo was busy peeling the shells off black tiger prawns. With just a few quick cuts of his small knife, he pried open the tough shell to reveal the bright red, tender meat inside.
After all, black tiger prawns weren’t like regular shrimp; their shells were a bit tougher.
It’s not very convenient to grill the shrimp with the shells on, so the only option was to grill them first and then peel off the shells.
After that, a layer of honey and barbecue sauce was brushed on.
In Guangdong, it’s customary to use honey in barbecue.
The sweetness of honey isn’t overwhelming; it actually enhances the flavor.
If grilled just right, it can even form a crispy crust on the outside.
Applying the honey was the final step. Once the crispy crust had formed, Lin Mo handed the shrimp over to Xie Yuling.
“Here, give it a try.”
Xie Yuling had been sitting nearby, waiting patiently. Since there wasn’t enough space, she sat just a little behind and beside Lin Mo.
When Lin Mo offered her the grilled shrimp, her eyes curved into a smile, but with so many people around, she remained reserved and spoke sparingly.
“Thank you.”
She took the shrimp with both hands and began eating it in small bites.
“Take your time, there’s more.”
At that moment, Fang Jun was telling stories that had everyone’s attention, so no one noticed the small exchange between the two.
“You guys don’t know, back during military training, Lin Mo actually arm-wrestled and beat every instructor in the group. Even the chief instructor told him to consider enrolling in a military academy.”
“Seriously?!” someone chimed in.
“Hey, I’m not kidding. Lin Mo’s that impressive.”
Fang Jun was like Lin Mo’s biggest fan, enthusiastically bragging about him.
Even though it was all true, many people found it hard to believe.
Several students eagerly expressed their desire to arm-wrestle Lin Mo.
Lin Mo raised a shrimp skewer in response. “Wait until I finish grilling these.”
The two skewers of shrimp in Lin Mo’s hands were grilled to a perfect crisp on the outside. Once done, he handed them to Xie Yuling again.
“Let’s go. Time for the arm wrestling.”
Lin Mo stood up, and many others followed suit, though some stayed behind to continue grilling.
Xie Yuling, holding several skewers of chicken wings and pork belly, took a seat right where Lin Mo had been.
Since Lin Mo had left, she wanted to grill some food for him.
She was eating black tiger shrimp that had long been peeled. The meat was fibrous and firm, with a great texture and a fresh, delicious flavor.
At that moment, two girls quietly sat down beside Xie Yuling.
“Ahem, Xie Yuling, how far have you and Lin Mo gotten?”
“?”
Xie Yuling turned toward Lu Xiaohua, a bit stunned.
What do you mean how far? What are you talking about?!
I don’t understand.
“Lin Mo’s so handsome, and he’s so gentle with you. There’s no way you’re not a couple.”
Hearing that, Xie Yuling’s face instantly flushed red.
But she still shook her head.
“We’re not a couple.”
Though she denied it, they were all girls; it wasn’t hard to tell the truth.
Still, they didn’t press further.
One of the girls suddenly asked, “Is Lin Mo good at school?”
That was a reasonable question.
After all, they were all students, and in the ivory tower, academic performance naturally drew more attention.
Lu Xiaohua glanced toward the crowd arm-wrestling in the distance.
“He’s probably more of an athlete. Not very tall, but pretty strong.”
Xie Yuling usually didn’t talk much with others, but when the topic turned to Lin Mo, she unknowingly joined the conversation.
“No, his grades are excellent. Even better than mine.”
Hearing this, the two girls couldn’t help but widen their eyes in surprise.
Xie Yuling was famous not just for her looks, but also for her excellent grades.
Good looks combined with any other advantage is a winning combo, but looks alone just won’t cut it.
Xie Yuling’s academic performance was outstanding; she was always a top student at her previous school.
But someone who outperformed Xie Yuling in studies? That’s practically a myth.
Seeing the two girls a bit taken aback, Xie Yuling nodded.
“He even tutors me in advanced math.”
Upon hearing this, the first thing the two girls thought of wasn’t advanced math.
Lu Xiaohua couldn’t help but squint, “So it’s a tutoring play, huh?”
Lin Mo glanced over, catching Lu Xiaohua’s expression—one that looked like Anya’s—and Xie Yuling’s completely baffled face.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
